If you were paying extra for ESPN+, you might not need to anymore.
That’s one key takeaway from the launch of ESPN’s standalone streaming service, which includes all the network’s cable channels along with the service formerly known as ESPN+ (and now called ESPN Select). As more TV providers start bundling ESPN’s new streaming service, they’re essentially adding ESPN+ at no extra charge.
So, if your TV package includes ESPN Unlimited, take a minute to make sure you’re not subscribed separately to ESPN+. You’ll only be paying more for the same exact programming.
ESPN+ vs. ESPN Select vs. ESPN Unlimited
First, a quick refresher on ESPN’s confusing streaming plans:
ESPN+ was the previous name for ESPN’s $12-per-month subscription service. It mostly covers live sports that do not air on ESPN’s cable channels, including out-of-market NHL games, La Liga and Bundesliga soccer, and Major League Rugby.
ESPN Select is the new name for the subscription with just ESPN+ content, which still costs $12 per month. (The network says it will continue to mark this content with ESPN+ branding.)
ESPN Unlimited is the new $30-per-month plan for all of ESPN’s cable programming, including live sports on ABC, extra channels such as ESPN2, and the ACC and SEC college networks. It also includes the full ESPN+ catalog.
ESPN Unlimited is a big deal because it means you don’t need a big pay TV bundle to access the network’s cable programming anymore. Even so, several pay TV providers have started boasting about making the service available to their customers. In practice, this just means they’re bundling ESPN+ and allowing customers to stream through the ESPN app.
Which pay TV providers include ESPN Unlimited?
ESPN’s website maintains a list of providers offering ESPN Unlimited. Here they are as of September 3, 2025:
Spectrum TV Select Signature and Select Plus (activate here)
Fubo base plans and Sports plan (activate here)
Hulu + Live TV (log into the ESPN app with your MyDisney account)
DirecTV MySports and Signature plans (streaming only for now, activate here)
Starting on September 4, Verizon will also offer ESPN Unlimited to all customers who get ESPN as part of a Fios TV package. DirecTV says it will bring ESPN Unlimited to satellite and U-Verse customers later this fall.
What if my TV package doesn’t include ESPN Unlimited?
Other providers, such as YouTube TV, Comcast, and Sling TV, haven’t announced any plans to include ESPN Unlimited. But if you don’t care about ESPN+ programming, that’s not a problem.
Just like before, you can access ESPN channels via your TV provider’s menu system or log into the ESPN app with your pay TV account. The only practical difference is that you won’t have access to ESPN+ content, which costs $12 per month on its own and doesn’t require a full ESPN Unlimited subscription.
Just don’t pay for ESPN+ twice
For TV packages that didn’t already include ESPN+, the addition of ESPN Unlimited means you’re essentially getting it for free.
Spectrum, for instance, had only offered ESPN+ with its TV Select Plus package, which costs $130 per month. A spokesman confirmed that Spectrum’s $125-per-month TV Select Signature plan now includes ESPN Unlimited as well.
DirecTV, Verizon, and Fubo, meanwhile, had not included ESPN+ in any of their standard streaming packages. All three companies confirmed that ESPN+ content is part of their ESPN Unlimited offerings.
So if you were paying $12 per month for a standalone ESPN+ subscription, you should be able to cancel it and get the same content through the above TV providers. Likewise, if you’re paying for Disney’s “Trio” bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, you can save $6 per month by paring back to the “Duo” bundle instead.
Occasionally auditing your subscriptions is always a smart idea, but it’s especially important now as programmers start re-bundling their programming in new ways. Otherwise, you might end up paying for duplicates.
Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more money-saving streaming advice.
Read...
